A UN meeting on Wednesday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoài Thanh

NEW YORK — Việt Nam, together with 40 other countries, had aligned itself to a voluntary global pledge “For every child, every right”, to ensure no one is left behind and to help every child reach their full potential, Ambassador Đặng Đình Quý, head of Việt Nam’s permanent mission to the UN, said on Wednesday.

Attending the UN General Assembly’s celebration for global action on the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Quý stressed the significance of the event, saying it offered an opportunity for all nations to enhance efforts to protect the rights of children.
Although positive results have been achieved in the past two decades, more efforts were needed to handle challenges like conflicts, climate change, pollution, poverty, natural disasters and diseases to create a brighter future for children, he said.
Quý also noted the essential role of education for each child, and said Việt Nam had made concerted efforts to ensure children had the chance to study, even during wartime.
To that end, the Vietnamese Government supported UNICEF’s safe school environment programme, aimed at raising a voice to single out children’s education rights in all cases, he added.
Highlighting the achievements over the past 30 years, president of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, said the under-five mortality rate had fallen more than 50 per cent, and the number of malnourished children had declined by nearly half since 1990.

Muhammad-Bande said he would prioritise improving education quality for children during his term.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke highly of global actions to realise the convention. There are millions of children suffering from climate change, poverty, diseases and violence, and he called on countries to reaffirm the implementation of the convention, and work to ensure all children lived in a safe environment and healthily to achieve their dreams.
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore urged countries to honour their commitments, stressing the world needed to listen to children, support and take action for them. — VNS